


Learning to Live Again

by heeroluva



Category: Black Jewels - Anne Bishop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Sibling Incest, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-06 09:17:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20289094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heeroluva/pseuds/heeroluva
Summary: A what if Jaenelle had actually died at the end ofQueen of the Darknesswhere Lucivar has to pull Daemon back from the edge.





	Learning to Live Again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Morbane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morbane/gifts).

Lucivar can’t sit by and watch this anymore, watch Daemon waste away. He’ll go where guided, eat a few bites of what’s fed to him, but he does nothing of his own volition, just stares into nothing, barely breathing.

They’d lost Jaenelle, but Lucivar can’t lose Daemon too. It’s been a month, and each day Lucivar sees Daemon fade more, is certain that if he doesn’t do something soon, it’ll be too late.

“Bastard. Daemon. Brother.” Daemon doesn’t react to any of the words either aloud or an Ebon-gray spread thread, doesn’t react when Lucivar shakes him. In a fit of frustration, out of ideas, Lucivar punches him harder than he means to, feels Daemon’s lip split on his knuckles as he tumbles out of the chair he’d been sitting on.

The faint stirring in the abyss beneath Lucivar flames his hope into an inferno, yet he’s still no closer to reaching him. He can’t just beat him. There’s a way, something dark whispers in his ear, and Lucivar blanches. He can’t, he won’t—but what other option does he have? “Forgive me, brother,” he breathes softly as he pulls Daemon up, guilt hitting him at the sight of his swollen lip, the blood dripping down his chin to stain his white shirt.

When Lucivar leads him to the bed, presses him down and back Daemon goes easily. Lucivar’s fingers are trembling as he pops the first button free, followed by a second and a third until the shirt falls open revealing his bare torso. His skin is now sallow, and he’s lost weight, but the care Daemon had put into maintaining his body is still evident.

It takes Lucivar a long time to reach for the fastenings of Daemon’s pants, and when he finally does, it’s a struggle to pull them off, Daemon’s dead weight not aiding his quest. Lucivar swallows thickly, telling himself that it’s not too late to stop.

No, he shakes his head. He has to do this. Better that Daemon lives and hates him than dies. Reaching out, he wraps his calloused hand around Daemon’s cock, the skin soft. Daemon doesn’t respond to the touch, not even when Lucivar ducks down and takes him into his mouth, sucking gently. Spreading Daemon’s legs, Lucivar presses a finger against his exposed hole, teasing the guarding muscle until he’s able to easily slide a finger inside.

Lucivar crooks a finger, feels the slight swelling and begins to rub. Just when he’s ready to give up, the cock in his mouth twitches and begins to swell. It’s been a while since he’s done this, and rarely with anyone so endowed, but it’s not hard to pick up again, bobbing his head as he rubs Daemon’s balls, rolling them gently.

Lucivar barely has a moment to appreciate the rage that swells up from beneath him before he finds himself slamming into the wall, his head cracking against the stone, one of his wings hanging limply.

Daemon stands over him, and Lucivar can see the heat of his rage, expects flames to erupt at any moment.

“You dare?” The voice is more growl than not, not the silky smoothness of the Sadists that Lucivar had expected, but something more wild.

“Welcome back, bastard.”

Lucivar doesn’t flinch when a fist punches the wall beside his head, but it’s a near thing as the stone splinters from the force of it, Daemon’s Black jewel glowing brightly. “How do you think Jaenelle would feel seeing you like this?”

“She’s dead,” Daemons snarls, throwing himself forward. “She can’t feel anything anymore.”

Lucivar lets him have one punch, figures it’s only fair, but after he trips him, pins him easily, twisting his arm high. Daemon snarls and struggles beneath him, but he’s not using his jewel, and Lucivar is in much better shape than Daemon is currently.

“She’s dead,” Daemon repeats again, his voice breaking with a sob.

Lucivar lets him up, and Daemon throws himself forward again, though this time not in attack. He wraps his arms about Lucivar, and sobs, and Lucivar holds him, rocking them both as tears spills from his eyes as well.

Eventually the tears die down, and they sit there wrapped around each other on the floor for a long time before Daemon speaks. “We were going to get married, when I got back. It was that hope that got me through. And she lied to me. She knew. Why?” Daemon all but howls, the tears starting again.

Lucivar doesn’t answer, can’t answer because he doesn’t know her reasons. He can speculate, but that won’t change anything, won’t fix this. “I don’t know. But I know one thing. She would have wanted you to live, to find happiness.”

“There will never be another like her.”

“No,” Lucivar agrees. There will be other Queens, other Witches, but none of them will be like Jaenelle.

“What do I do?” Daemon asks, tone pleading.

Lucivar rises to his feet, easily pulling Daemon up as well. “First we get you a bath. Then you live.”

Daemon stares at him for a long moment, and something shifts in him, a slow smile slides across his face.

It unnerves Lucivar how good Daemon is at that, how with a single glance he can heat someone’s blood. He doesn’t shove Daemon away when he kisses him, but he doesn’t try to deepen it either. When Daemon pulls away his gaze is calculating, and Lucivar wonders what he’s seeing, what he’s planning.

“Going to join me, Prick?” Daemon asks, his voice a silky purr.

Lucivar knows what’s happening, knows what Daemon’s doing, trying to protect himself. Picking him up easily, Daemon doesn’t struggle at first, not until they walk through the door to the courtyard and Lucivar nears the pond, the water certain to be nearly freezing at this time of year. Daemon struggles, but it’s too late, and Lucivar tosses him in. Daemon rises sputtered, and shivering, and a moment later, Lucivar joins him with a startled yelp as Daemon pulls him in with a thought.

It’s not the worst place either of them have bathed, and since they’re both already there, they decide to make use of it, quickly scrubbing each other clean. He’s surprised when Daemon offers to do his back, and even more so when Daemon doesn’t protest when Lucivar does him. When they’re both back inside, and toweled dry, Daemon is swaying on his feet with exhaustion, having done more in the past hours than he’s done in the entirety of the past month.

Lucivar tucks him in and turns to leave, but Daemon’s voice stops him.

“Stay.”

“Of course,” Lucivar says as he slides beneath the covers and curls around him.

Daemon is tense at first, but hesitantly he twines their fingers together and pulls them towards his chest. “Thank you,” he says softly before he drifts off.

It takes Lucivar a long time to sleep, Saetan popping in briefly, relief clear on his face when Lucivar gives him a nod. Lucivar won’t delude himself to believe that Daemon’s all better now. But he hopes that given time he will be. As he drifts off to sleep, Lucivar vows that he will be whatever Daemon needs him to be, an enemy, a friend, a lover, whatever it is that keeps Daemon going.


End file.
